Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 531 Godric: Salazar, you said all of this yourself.

Despite her temper tantrum, Rice eventually opened the doors of the dessert shop and invited Godric inside.

There was nothing we could do; this guy really got his chance.

Rice felt a pang of regret, regretting that he had forced Godric into the position of principal, which had ultimately led to his own downfall.

Now he couldn't help but fall into deep thought: Putting Helga aside, could it be that Rowena had already foreseen this day?

If she could even foresee this, then she's truly a god; it's as if she's sitting in the audience of the Colosseum.

After thinking carefully for a moment, he tentatively asked, "Hey, can we rescind the appointment?"

"At this moment? Salazar, you must be joking!" Godric's mouth almost stretched to his ears. "The appointment letter from the Board of Trustees has already been issued, and everyone knows you're about to become the youngest student council president in five hundred years. Even if I withdraw the appointment, White and Arius will do everything in their power to push you into that position."

Rice fell silent.

For a fleeting moment, he wanted to team up with Godric to flip the table, drag those two old geezers out of the shadows, and have them all step onto the stage.

After carefully weighing the pros and cons of doing so, Rice abandoned the idea.

Simply put, his current condition is significantly better than Godric's. Although he's struggling, his brother is struggling even more!

Rice tolerated it.

"I'll accept this letter." After calming down, Rice took the letter of appointment as student council president from Godric's hand.

Actually, the position of student council president is much better than that of prefect. Because if you're willing to be more open-minded, you can just go all out and do nothing, like Dumbledore did when he was headmaster, delegating all the tasks to the prefects.

After figuring this out, Rice suddenly felt that the appointment wasn't so bad after all.

"Is there anything else? If not, you can go back." Rice, feeling that Godric was no longer of any use, directly gave him the order to leave.

"Wait, I have something to discuss with you—" Godric stopped the teacher who was about to leave and then told Rice about Cedric's request.

Ok?

Godric's words stirred up Rice's memories, reminding him of a conversation between the four of them not long after Hogwarts was founded.

That was the seventh anniversary of Hogwarts' founding.

After holding a celebration as grand as possible, the four sent the first graduating class of Hogwarts away from the castle, keeping only a very few exceptional students as their successors.

As for why Hogwarts has a seven-year curriculum, the mainstream explanation in the modern magical world is that seven is the most magical number, but the actual reason is...

Raising students is such an expensive hobby!!!

Moreover, it becomes increasingly expensive as you progress, especially Potions.

For first-year wizards, all they need is a feather to serve as a teaching aid, but by seventh grade, the teaching aid might have to be a table or a wild boar.

This is just Charms class. Potions is even more terrifying; a single Potions class for seventh-year students can cost Salazar an entire bag of gold coins just for potion ingredients.

Continuing to teach them is unrealistic; we can only let them graduate.

After seven years of diligent study, they have acquired the basic qualities of a wizard.

"But it's just basic etiquette, isn't it?" Rowena said. "In our eyes, they are no different from Scottish Shepherds."

"What can we do? Keep them around until they control the territory? Rowena, I'm warning you, the school's finances are in dire straits; we're almost at the point where we can't even afford candles—"

"Alright, alright, stop saying such discouraging things on such a joyous day!" Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Helga quickly stepped in to change the subject. "Godric said that another family agreed to provide funding for Hogwarts yesterday, so our finances will be a bit better next year."

"Indeed, our reputation will soar even higher after this year's graduates," Godric chimed in. "And now there are quite a few families willing to invest, such as the Greengrass family, the Black family, the Longbottom family... Shouldn't we set up an organization to bring these families in? Let them know how the school is operating, so we can continue to get money from them."

"Can."

"Agreed."

"It's hard to believe that Godric would come up with such a suggestion."

"Salazar, that's enough!"

After making fun of Godric, the four of them had completely forgotten about the little argument that had taken place a few minutes earlier.

"I have to go to Gaul in a few days. A family called Malfoy has asked me to be their witness at a wedding. They've really offered me a lot of money," Salazar told his old friends, asking for leave.

"Maybe they want you to be the child's godfather," Godric joked.

"That's a different price," Salazar said, indicating that he was a legendary wizard and that it would cost extra to have him as his godson. The money offered now was just his appearance fee at the wedding.

"Hogwarts will have money someday," Helga said expectantly. "Then we can let the children who have completed seven years of study choose whether or not to stay at the school for another two years, no, five years!"

"You have to pass the exam. Otherwise, if some idiots stay for another five years, I'm afraid I'll lose twenty years of my life," Rowena's cold voice rang out.

The three of them burst into laughter.

……

"Now that you've become the headmaster of Hogwarts, how's the school's finances?" Rice snapped out of her reverie and steered the conversation toward the economy.

He felt younger, but not completely young. How could a young person get so easily caught up in memories?

"Very healthy." Godric recalled the scene of asking the school board members for money a couple of days ago. He felt that the school board members were quite easy to talk to, and basically gave him whatever amount he asked for.

Rice raised an eyebrow: Hmm?

"How much money did you ask for?"

"10% more than last year."

"That's too little," Rice sighed regretfully.

Now is the time when Godric is at the height of his power. The four of them just demonstrated their strength last year, preventing evil spirits from setting foot on the British Isles and bringing the Greek gods to the negotiating table. How could the Board of Trustees dare to refuse Godric's budget request?

Asking for only 10% more is far too conservative.

"Add another sum!" Rice waved his hand, indicating that the budget should be increased by 50%, since the major pure-blood families had been making a killing lately.

Whether renting out dolls or taking orders from Muggles, they have more sources of income and are making more money than ever before.

The wealth accumulated in Muggle society is flowing into the magical world.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Godric was a meticulous person, easily offended, and embarrassed to raise the price after setting it.

"This money is different from the previous budget items." Rice knew his old friend's problem, so he thoughtfully came up with a reason for Godric.

"Do you still remember Helga's dream? Now it's time to make it come true."

Godric gasped. "You mean..."

"Yes, extend the school term!" Rice said, uttering words that sent shivers down Godric's spine.

"I've studied the Muggle education system, and I found that they have two more learning paths after university that are worth learning from—one is called 'Master's' and the other is 'Doctor'. We should learn from that."

In Rice's view, Hogwarts' seven-year education was actually a bit insufficient.

For graduates who think they can use the Iron Mantra, seven years is more than enough time, but for outstanding students like Cedric, Astoria, and Hermione, seven years is too short.

They graduated before they even learned the truly profound magic.

Previously, they were unable to conduct "graduate education" due to financial constraints, but now they have the resources to do so.

"Master's degree, doctorate?" Godric felt like he had learned new terms again.

"Yes." Rice nodded. "Not all courses need to be offered at the graduate level; we can offer it only in a few specific courses."

Rice refers to the art of divination.

There's absolutely no need for master's or doctoral programs in divination. True prophets can make accurate predictions without formal education. If Hogwarts were to offer a graduate program in divination, it would only produce a bunch of fraudsters.

Conversely, fields like potions, alchemy, and defense against the dark magic require postgraduate education. This might even lead to top-tier disciplines like magic flow studies.

"We can copy Muggle homework. Some professors are qualified to teach graduate courses, and they have a few fixed places each year. Some of these places can be used to recruit their favorite Hogwarts students, while others are put out for students from other magic schools to compete for."

For example, if Helga were to open a magical cooking class, she could admit three graduate students each year: two from Hogwarts and one from another school. However, the student from the other school would have to pass an exam and an interview to get in.

As Salazar spoke, Godric's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Now there is one last question: Will professors who offer graduate programs face too much work pressure?

"It's alright, their graduate students can assist them with teaching! They can grade assignments and even teach lower-grade classes." Rice gave a crooked, dragon-king-like smile.

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, a thought vaguely flashed through Godric's mind.

He thoughtfully stroked his beard, and after a brief race with his thoughts, he finally grasped that fleeting inspiration.

Salazar, you just mentioned that some professors who are authorized to recruit graduate students have available graduate student slots, right? Did you also say that graduate students could assist professors with some work?

Uh-huh!

Godric already had a well-thought-out plan, which he would share with Helga and Rowena later.

Thinking of this, Godric's eyes grew even brighter, as if two flames were burning within them.

"Salazar, your suggestion is absolutely brilliant!!!" Godric exclaimed excitedly. "This is our dream from back then! Finally, we have the time to make it a reality!"

"I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed, I only made a small, insignificant contribution." Rice was also happy that Hogwarts was going to grow and expand further.

Just think about it, with Godric and the others at Hogwarts now, their appeal to outstanding students from other magic schools is simply irresistible.

As the first magic school to offer master's and doctoral programs, is there any school that can challenge Hogwarts' status as the world's number one magic school?

Those other mediocre magic schools don't deserve this qualification!

They want to start postgraduate education, but that will take at least ten or twenty years, until their students have studied at Hogwarts before they are eligible.

Godric left excitedly.

Once this system is discussed with Rowena and the others, it can be officially brought to the forefront, and Cedric will be able to stay at Hogwarts as Helga's graduate student.

……

"Salazar's idea is brilliant, but which courses can be offered at the graduate level?" After listening to Salazar's suggestion, Helga and Rowena agreed that it was a great idea, and that there were existing systems in Muggles that could be easily adopted.

Their past dreams are gradually becoming reality.

"First is alchemy. Rowena, you can take on a few students and teach them that. Then there's potions. I feel like Professor Snape could be further exploited to pass on the methods for making those difficult potions. Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts also seem quite necessary. Should we open courses for them?" Godric counted on his fingers.

Helga was quite interested; she also wanted to offer a graduate course on automaton making, mainly to help alleviate some of the pressure from orders.

Rowena, however, said that since this was the first time implementing this system, it was not advisable to offer too many subjects. She suggested starting with alchemy and magic flow as pilot subjects.

"Let's add another one: doll making. We're short-staffed in this field," Helga added.

Rowena and Godric nodded repeatedly.

"That's settled then. We'll write a letter to the school board to get the budget, then we can inform the Ministry of Magic about our plans. The Ministry will help us contact the Daily Prophet." Godric quickly arranged what needed to be done next.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing..."

A few minutes later, a burst of "hehehe" laughter came from the headmaster's office at Hogwarts.

Fun fact: During some crucial meetings, it's best not to go to the restroom alone.

……

Several owls flew out of Hogwarts Castle, spreading the explosive news, and the British wizarding world was in an uproar.

Look at the subjects offered at Hogwarts—alchemy, puppet making, and magic flow!

These are all courses more precious than gold!

Alchemy goes without saying; it's the pinnacle of magic, and at its peak, it can turn lead into gold and grant immortality. As for puppet making, these days, being able to make automated combat puppets is no different from being able to print money. As for the flow of magic, ordinary wizards are unaware of the secrets of this subject, but some magical families who know the inside story are most obsessed with it because it is the true path to becoming a top wizard.

Want to become a wizard like Gryffindor, Dumbledore, Cedric, or the Greengrass sisters? Learn Magic Flow!

The entire British magical community was thrilled by the news.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tomorrow's update will still be at midnight.

good night

(｀ω)

(End of this chapter)